Note by the Saker: today, with his kind permission, I am posting an article by Ron Unz originally posted here. While this article deals with something specific which has happened at The American Conservative, I am sure that there are many amongst you who will immediately see the parallels with some, lets call them, recent “changes of course” we have recently observed in the Russia-oriented blogosphere. Simply put – to
Note by the Saker: I am posting this article today by the special permission of Paul Craig Roberts. It was initially posted here. Will Putin’s Policy of Concession Succeed? by Paul Craig Roberts Russian president Vladimir Putin’s speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Conference last weekend shows the Russian government’s ensnarement by neoliberal economic policy. Putin defended globalism and free trade, and he warned that crisis will result from
translation by Miles for the Saker Blog P R E S I D E N T OF R U S S I A N F E D E R A T I O N DECREE № 204 Signed 07 May 2018 On national objectives and strategic tasks of Russian Federation’s development in the period up to 2024 To facilitate breakthrough scientific, technological and socio-economic development of Russian Federation, increase of
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) While the dogs of war bark, the Ancient – and New – Silk Road goes on forever and a civilization with a long and proud history gets on with life The minute you set foot in the streets of Mashhad, the air smelling of saffron, a fine breeze oozing from the mountains, it hits you; you’re
Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on May 14, 2018, commemorating the second anniversary of the death of Hezbollah Commander Sayed Moustafa Badreddine. Translation : unz.com/sayedhasan Transcript: […] (Finally), Palestine, (the most) important question —I will be brief because everything we said before had to do with Palestine. Tomorrow (May 15) is the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (‘catastrophe’, designating the forced exile of Palestinians in 1948), the
Dear friends, To my never-ending amazement, our community is still growing, and I don’t mean the number of pages served by this blog (which peaked at over 3 million and is now tapering off at somewhere over 2) since that kind of numbers really don’t mean much. And neither do I mean the other six Saker blogs. This time around, something new happened: a website created by a member of
Note by the Saker: I learned the hard way and have come to terms with the following sad facts: a) there will always be people who will deliberately accuse others of things they neither said nor meant and b) some people are simply to stupid to understand an argument. The following article by Jimmie Moglia will be an ideal target for both of these categories. The only way for me
by Ghasssan Kadi for the Saker Blog On the 6th of May 2018, Lebanese voters went to their polling booths to vote for members of Parliament. This was the first Parliamentary election since 2009, nearly a decade ago, even though the regular parliamentary term is only four years. And for the first time in Lebanon’s history, the Lebanese diaspora were able to vote in their representative embassies. So why did
[This article has been written for the Unz Review] This has been an interesting week for Russia. First, and contrary to my own expectations, Iulia Skripal has been allowed to make a recorded statement on video where she is seen writing a statement in English and Russian. This falls far short of even the basic British obligations to allow consular access to both Skripals, but it is a sign that
Please press the ‘cc’ button to see the English subtitles
By David Franke for The Saker Blog A number of articles in the alternative media have put forth generalized arguments that the unipolar moment of the American Empire is unraveling, to be supplanted by a multipolar world. Here are two current articles, and a third that’s a few months old—all from mainstream media—that provide some of the details supporting that thesis. It doesn’t matter if you approve or disapprove—this is
by R.Lesnoix for The Saker Blog Peace between North Korea and the United States would be a welcome development. Both have nuclear weapons and have been threatening each other with the use of these until recently. With the proximity of China, Russia and Japan, each with their own interests, renewed fighting in and around the Korean peninsula could rapidly escalate. Such an escalation would spell trouble for the entire world,
Step one: the DPRK destroys its nuclear testing facility Step two: Trumps cancels his meeting with Kim Jong-un Step three, just read this masterpiece: Amazing, no? The fact that the North Koreans requested the meeting is irrelevant, Trump’s red button is bigger than Kim’s and Kim is invited to lose face by begging for another meeting. I have to say that I am awed by the sheer lunacy of the
By Aram Mirzaei for The Saker Blog These past weeks have witnessed a lot of tensions running high, with Israel and Iran reportedly facing off near the Golan Heights. Israel has launched several airstrikes on “Iranian bases” across Syria, while Damascus (IRGC allegedly) responded with missile fire against IDF positions. In the aftermath of these hit and run attacks, Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad travelled once more to Russia to meet
by Nick for The Saker Blog “Terrorism is like a scorpion; it can unexpectedly sting you at any time”. Among the Western nations to discover the bitter truth of Bashar al Assad’s 2013 warning was Britain, when a Libyan suicide bomber killed 22 people attending a pop concert in Manchester. But while the UK media covered the May 22nd first anniversary of the massacre, not a single mainstream outlet so
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) Iran is considering conducting all trade in euro and yuan amid uncertainty over whether Brussels can challenge the dominance of US law and prevent possible sanctions The Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has monopolized the highest levels of government in Tehran around the clock
by Sergio Weigel for The Saker Blog Despite “poison gas”, “barrel bombs” and “annexation” – a large part of propaganda is going nowhere in Germany. Recent surveys show a pronounced media literacy among many citizens and a great yearning for German-Russian rapprochement. The first survey of interest might be the one Forsa Institute did on behalf of RTL (private media TV) about the trust of Germans in their öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunk, the
by R.Lesnoix for The Saker blog Over the last few weeks, a curious change has taken place in both mainstream media and among alternative news and opinion sites. Earlier on, the focus has been on actions of the west and the US in particular, with the mainstream media mostly extolling its virtues and the alternative media usually decrying them. Now the focus seems to be on Russia, and especially on
RT reports: Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the Saturday attack on an Orthodox church in Russia’s Chechen Republic, which left a worshiper and two police officers dead. The terrorist group took the credit for the attack, issuing a statement through its online mouthpieces, the SITE Intelligence Group reported Sunday. Four terrorists, armed with blades, incendiary devices and guns, stormed the Church of Michael the
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) Top officials, including former CIA officers, Pentagon officials, US Army officers and former diplomats demand explanation of Israeli actions By Pepe Escobar May 19, 2018 11:57 AM (UTC+8) In a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, with copies to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Security Council, four top former officials at the highest
